Office of Educational Research Pre-Award Proposal Support Proposal-Related FAQs

Proposal-Related Frequently Asked Questions

What are the steps in submitting my proposal with OER?

Submit a Capital Needs Form to alert OER that you are pursuing funding.
Ana Puig (anapuig@coe.ufl.edu) will contact you to verify that OER received your Capital Needs Form.
A Research Administrator (RA) will connect with you to request a budget wish list, develop your budget, and coordinate subcontract needs, if applicable.
If needed, a Research Coordinator (RC) will contact you to provide requested editorial support, help gather boilerplate materials, and assist in developing other supporting documents, as their portfolio capacity allows.
A Research Administrator will build your proposal in UFIRST and route the finalized proposal to the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) for approval and submission to the funding organization.

Who should I go to when needing budget support on my proposal?

The first step in requesting budget support is to submit a Capital Needs Form to alert OER of your intent to pursue funding. A Research Administrator (RA) will contact you to request your budget wish list and establish the next steps in the proposal submission process. All following budget-related questions should be directed to the RA who established contact with you.

I need additional support. What does OER offer?

To view OER’s complete list of pre-award services, please visit theOER “About Our Services” webpage.

I have a project idea but am not sure where to go for funding. How can OER help?

If you have a project idea, please email Ana Puig (anapuig@coe.ufl.edu) and include a project abstract and keywords. OER will conduct a targeted search to find relevant funding opportunities and will send you an annotated list of potential funding opportunities for your consideration.

I want to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). Do I need to submit a Capital Needs Form?

If the sponsor requests an LOI that includes a total project dollar amount that indicates general use categories (e.g., fringe, salary), then a Capital Needs Form is not needed. If an LOI requires a line item budget, you must submit a Capital Needs Form and OER will route the LOI through the Division of Sponsored Programs.

Where can I find sample templates for budget justifications, scope of work, etc.?

Boilerplates and templates can be found on OER’s “Resources” webpage. If you require a boilerplate that is not included on the website, email Ana Puig (anapuig@coe.ufl.edu), Piper Lowinger (piperlowinger@coe.ufl.edu), or Stephany Rodriguez (rodriguez.st@coe.ufl.edu) to fulfill your request.

Why does OER need subcontract materials so much sooner than the proposal deadline?

Subcontract materials are required earlier due to the shorter deadlines associated with integrating subcontract final budget figures into the proposal’s budget. These figures significantly influence the overall budget decisions. Additionally, sufficient time is needed to thoroughly review subcontract materials, communicate with the subcontractor regarding any necessary budget adjustments, and upload the finalized materials into UFIRST. Given the complexity and coordination involved in completing these tasks, subcontract materials are needed sooner.

What is the difference between a subrecipient, contractor, and consultant?

A subrecipient participates substantially in the design and direction of the work, has the freedom and ability to make decisions regarding the project, and has a scope that involves analysis and interpretation. A contractor provides services explicitly requested by UF, does not participate in the design of the work, and has little or no independent decision making in the conduct of the work. A consultant is an individual who provides professional advice and services for a fee.

How do I find my Current and Pending Awards?

Follow these instructions for two different methods of finding Current and Pending in UFIRST.

You can also use DSP’s current and pending tool. This tool generates a Current and Pending Support form on the Common Form template from grant data in UFIRST, including commitments by budget period. It does not include information for the Overall Objectives or Statement of Overlap. As it is from UFIRST, it does not include in-kind support, internal programs, or Outside Activities. If required by the funding agency, those need to be added manually.

Can a UF faculty member be a consultant on a proposal?

No, UF faculty cannot be paid as consultants from UF sponsored projects. UF faculty devoting time to a sponsored project are expected to be working within their UF appointment. They should be budgeted in the personnel section with the appropriate amount of salary and fringe corresponding to project effort.